Apparatus and method for computation of a pricing index

• US 20050246380A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirayama, Tomoshi, Tomita, Hisashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is disclosed which comprises: a first acquiring element for acquiring the number of times information contents are downloaded over a network; a second acquiring element for acquiring the number of times the information contents are reproduced; and a computing element for computing a pricing index for the information contents based on the number of times the information contents have been downloaded as acquired by the first acquiring element and on the number of times the information contents have been reproduced as acquired by the second acquiring element.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. An information processing apparatus comprising:

acquiring means for acquiring information contents over a network;

holding means for holding said information contents acquired by said acquiring means;

reproducing means for reproducing said information contents held by said holding means; and

transmitting means for transmitting a notification over said network to another information processing apparatus counting the number of times said information contents have been reproduced, said notification saying that said information contents have been reproduced by said reproducing means.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said holding means further holds supplementary information attached to said information contents;

and

wherein said transmitting means further transmits said supplementary information.

12. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring information contents over a network;

holding said information contents acquired in said acquiring step;

reproducing said information contents held in said holding step; and

transmitting a notification over said network to an information processing apparatus counting the number of times said information contents have been reproduced, said notification saying that said information contents have been reproduced in said reproducing step.

13. A storage medium which stores a program in a manner readable by a computer, said program comprising the steps of:

acquiring information contents over a network;

holding said information contents acquired in said acquiring step;

reproducing said information contents held in said holding step; and

transmitting a notification over said network to an information processing apparatus counting the number of times said information contents have been reproduced, said notification saying that said information contents have been reproduced in said reproducing step.